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29/08/10 - Tanvald, Czech Republic

British Alexz Wigg, Beta, and Spanish Pol Tarres clinched the European titles in their respective classes at Tanvald, Czech Republic.
Both kept their cool and defeated their rivals by few points. Rivals in the whole season, rivals that in the first part of this very fight championship were leading, but that suffered more the pressure in these hot moments.
Italian Matteo Grattarola, Sherco, led the overall standing in the Top class since the first race, but having been reached by Wigg in the previous round , knew that everything would be decided here, on the very good sections featured by the organizers. Slippery rocks and wood roots washed by changeable weather, which conditioned also the fight for the win. Indeed the two contenders did not start closely. Wigg, having started earlier then Grattarola, finished the first lap before the rain came. Two points lost by Grattarola in one of the last sections of the first lap ridden under the fastidious rain were just the gap to Wigg, who was leading scoring 9 points, Grattarola 11, then Jack Challoner, Beta, 18. In the second lap the cooler Wigg climbed the difficult section 11 and loosing just 4 points in the whole loop, added to 3 for time, assured himself the win and the title. Nothing to do for Grattarola, whose score of 12 was the same done by home-boy Martin Kroustek , able to kick out of the podium Challoner.
In the Junior class the gap between the winner Pol Tarres and his number one rival, British Jack Sheppard, Beta, was even smoother. Two points more for Sheppard in both the loops. In the first part, ridden by the twos on sections not yet worsened by the mud dragged by the bike’s wheels, Tarres scored an incredible “2” and Sheppard “4”! In third, Italian Giacomo Saleri carried already 17 mistakes. More balanced the second lap, with these three riders still in this order: Tarres, 11, Sheppard, 13 and Saleri, 15. The podium of the championship was the same of the today competition.
Swedish Magnus Lijeblad, Sherco, second today in the Over 40 class won by German John Veelen, is the first European Champion of this new class.
In the International class Czech Jiri Svoboda won, scoring almost one third of the runner-up’s.
In the day before, they were assigned the Women and Youth titles. Everything according to the odds. Spanish Laia Sanz, Montesa, won and clinched her ninth title, Spanish Jorge Carrasco, Gas Gas, nevertheless he arrived in second place, got the title, too. Winner of the Youth competition, French Steven Coquelin, Gas Gas.
This nineteenth Trials European championship ended in the best possible way thanks to a perfect organization in a wonderful wood scenery. All the sections, except one, were easily reached, just walking, by the spectators.
Come back for the video.

Vince l’inglese Alexz Wigg, su Beta, del team italiano Top Trial Team il Campionato Europeo nella classe regina.
Beffato il nostro Matteo Grattarola, Sherco, in testa alla classifica provvisoria fin dalla prima gara. Matteo si e’ pero’ presentato a questo finale, a Tanvald, nel nord della Repubblica Ceca, a pari punteggio dell’’inglese, ma con una gamba dolorante, a causa dei punti di sutura rimediati la settimana scorsa nel Trial Internazionale di Cahors.
Temperature autunnali e tempo variabile con terreno ovviamente favorevole ai britannici, hanno contribuito a rendere ancora piu’ arduo il compito del campione italiano, che ha resistito al rivale per il solo primo giro. Infatti, pur partendo dopo e dovendo fare i conti con la pioggia, e’ riuscito a mantenersi al secondo posto, staccato di soli 2 punti: 9 a 11. Nella seconda tornata, Wigg ha guidato molto ben concentrato e ha chiuso la partita, consegnando un cartellino con sole 4 penalita’, alle quali sono state sommati altri 3 punti per il suo ritardo. Grattarola, con i suoi 12 errori, gli e’ rimasto alle spalle.
Bene Andrea Vaccaretti, quinto, nonostante una brutta botta ad una mano, rimediata in allenamento il giorno prima.
Nella classe Junior, Pol Tarres ha vinto gara e titolo ai danni del rivale Jack Sheppard. Terzo in gara ed in campionato Giacomo Saleri. Buona la prestazione di Ismael Catalin che ha concluso al quarto posto.
Al sabato ultima gara anche per i campionati europei femminile e giovani. Laia Sanz, per la nona volta, e Jorge Carrasco i campioni. .
clicca qui per le foto di tutti gli Italiani. Il video della gara in settimana.